Doug Free: "It's Nice" To Have Offseason To Adjust To RT

Free will move to right tackle in 2012, swapping positions with Tyron Smith

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From all we’ve read and heard, Tyron Smith’s transition from right tackle to left tackle is going smoothly. But what about the other moving part in the equation, right tackle turned left tackle turned right tackle, Doug Free?

"Well, there's always a little bit of transition anytime you go to a different side," Free said, per the Dallas Morning News. "It's mainly just thinking everything different, opposite. It's just kind of getting settled over there and getting used to how things are called. It's just a little bit of flipping things in your head.

"But having this time to get ready for it, it's definitely going to be a positive."

This was a point that was emphasized by Free--the benefits of having a full offseason to prepare for the move. Coaches have suggested in the past that Smith might have started his career protecting Tony Romo’s blindside, had the longest work stoppage in league history not kept players from having a true offseason under the watchful eye of coaches.

"It's nice doing it in the offseason," Free said. "Everybody's got a chance to figure it out, go through training camp, compared to doing during the season, which was last year, we had a lot of rotation with guys. Getting the line set early and getting training camp under our belt with everybody together should help quite a bit."

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